Guard for self-acting mules and twiners.



1. PICKFORD. GUARD FOR SELF ACTING MULES-AND TWINERS. APPLICATlON FILED JULY 6. 1914.

l 14:4, 500, Patented June 29', 1915.

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J. PICKFORD.

GUARD FOR SELF ACTING MULES AND TWINERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6,1914.

Patented J une29, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

images 90m! $094M J J. PICKFORD.

GUARD FOR SELF ACTING MULES AND TWINERS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. 1914.

1,144,500. Patented June 29, 1915.

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UNIT

JAMES PICKFORD, 0F OLDI-IAlVI, ENGLAND.

GUARD FOB. SELF-ACTING MULES AND TWINERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Application filed July 6, 1914. Serial No. 849,250.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs PIoKroRD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Oldham, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Guards for Self-Acting Mules and'Twiners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in guards for self-acting mules or twiners and has for its object to provide a guard (or guards) for, or so arranging the existing guard or guards) of the drawingout scrolls (end, middle or assistant scrolls), that it can be readily slid sidewise out of or into its operative position, as may be required and which guard (or guards) may be also so arranged under the control of the headstock guard of the machine, say such as described in my English Patent No. 2960 of 1913, that it cannot be removed from its operative position until the machine has been stopped and the machine cannot be permanently started again until the said guard (or guards) has been slid back into I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying three sheets of drawings, in which- Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a sectional side view and a sectional end view of the middle drawing-out scroll guard arranged in accordance with my invention in connection with and under the control of a headstock guard. Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of a modification of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are, on a reduced scale, a back view and a plan respectively of a self-acting mule with my improved guard applied to all the drawing-out scrolls and also arranged in connection with and under the control of the headstock guard. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are respectively a sectional back end view, a plan and a side view of the head stock guard and its connection with the driving gear of the machine.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention and referring to Figs. 1 and 2, according to one embodiment, I form the guard at of the middle drawing-out scroll b to surround the latter and closed at its inner and open at its outer end. To the outer side of the said guard a, a rod 0 is secured adapted to rest upon the j creel brackets (1, while the inner side has a flange e resting upon the roller beam) and the outer side has a downwardly extending part 9 overlapping the guard in of the bottom scroll or pulley.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, i are the guards for the end drawing-out scrolls is, in the present instance having each on the outer side a flange Z to rest upon the creel rail m and on the inner side adapted to rest upon a rod 17, suitably secured, say to the roller beam and the frame end, while otherwise the guard is formed similarly as the one for the middle drawing-0ut scroll described. o is the guard for the assistant scroll 79 which however surrounds only the top half of the scroll, while on the outer side it has a downwardly extending part 9 covering the band and respective bottom scroll or pulley, the outer end of the guard being in this case closed and the inner end open. This guard is similarly supported and rendered laterally slidable as the other two guards described by forming on each side thereof a flange e, Z adapted to rest respectively on the roller beam 7 and the creel rail m.

When employing the scroll guard or described under the control of the headstock guard r in the operative position of the middle taking-in scroll guard at on the left side of the headstock, the end of the rod 0 on the right thereof abuts against one end of a lever s fulcrumed to the creel frame bracket 2%, the other end of which'has pivoted thereto the headstock guard hook u, see more particularly Fig. 2. In order to permit of removing the scroll guard at from its operative or inoperative position, it is necessary to first remove the headstock guard r by lifting the hook or off the swivel y, which causes the lower end of the lever s tomove from behind the rod 0 and the end of the rod 0 of the guard a of the middle scroll drawing-out scroll, to be released and thus the guard to be unlocked so as to permit of being slid sidewise from the operative into the inoperative position. When it is desired to start the machine again, owing to the right end of the rod 0 of the guard at on the left hand side of theheadstock having taken up a position in front of the lower end of the lever 3, see more particularly Fig. 2, the machine cannot be started again permanently until the sa d scroll guards have been slide back into their operative position, as only then the headstock guard can be placed back again in position.

Referring to Fig. 3, according to a modification of the latter part of my invention, the rod 0 of the scroll guard a may be locked in the operative position of the guard a, by abutting against a projection 2 on the side of the headstock guard r and become unlocked when removing the headstock guard r and thereby withdrawing the projection 2.

The headstock guard a" as hitherto is either formed with a laterally slidable door made in two halves or in one piece to be bodily withdrawn to provide access to the headstock gear when required. This headstock guard is provided with a member or members so adapted to cooperate with a suitable part of the starting gear of the carriage of the machine that when sliding the said headstock guard door sidewise or bodily withdrawing the headstock guard, the carriage of the machine will be automatically stopped. The construction and arrangement of the said member or members vary in accordance with the various forms of headstock guards used and types of mules or twiners and the part of the starting gear of the carriage with which the said member or members cooperate. For instance in machines where the headstock guard has a slidable door formed in halves and is adapted to cooperate with the strap fork or lever, the arrangement between the same may be such as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.

In the top of the headstock guard r I employ a shaft 4, one end of which is mounted in the side of the latter and has secured an arm 5 extending normally beyond the adjacent edge of the right half of the headstock guard door 9* and the other end of which is supported by an angular lever 6 pivoted to the outside of the headstock guard side and extending normally beyond the adjacent edge of the left half of the headstock guard door and thus locking the door in its operative position, the said arm and angular lever being held in the normal position by means of the hooks 7, 8, pivoted respectively to each side of the headstock, while an arm 9 is secured to the shaft 4: on which rests the tumbler or hand lever 10, pivoted to the headstock. The tumbler or hand lever 10 is adapted to support the latch 11 of the strap fork or lever 12, in the present instance through the medium of the arm 9 secured to the shaft 4, in order to prevent the said latch from unduly dropping and engaging on the headstock end, prevent the strap fork lever 12 from moving and stop the mule.

Should an attempt be made to unlock the headstock guard doors before the mule has been stopped, by removing the hooks 7, 8 from the angular lever 6 and arm 5 respectively, the end of the shaft 4 carried by the angular lever 6 will immediately drop and with it the arm 6 and tumbler or hand lever 10 and allow the latch 11 to hook onto the headstock end and thereby cause the strap to remain on the loose pulley and the mule to be stopped, while the angular lever 6 and arm 5 in the meantime are turned out of the path of the door halves of the headstock guard 1' and the latter can then be opened. It will thus be readily seen that, the latch 11 having been allowed to drop and engage on the headstock end, the machine cannot be started again permanently until the latch 11 is lifted and supported again by the 7 hand lever 10 which latter is moved to its normal position by the arm 13 when the shaft l is raised and the hooks 7 8 are respectively placed on the angular lever 6 and arm 5 again.

The sliding guard described is also applicable to chased drums of draw bands of self-acting mules arranged outside of the headstock, with or without connection to the headstock. i

When it is desired to use my improved scroll guard not under the control of the driving or starting gear or mechanism or headstock guard of the machine, the rod 0 is arranged stationary and may extend along the whole length of the carriage on each side of the headstock for the guards to slideon or a separate stationary rod may be employed for each guard and suitable means may be provided for locking the same in their operative position as will be readily understood without illustration.

I claim:

1. In a self-acting mule and twiner, a

drawing-out scroll and a guard covering the l l same capable of being slid sidewise out of and into its operative position, for the purpose specified.

2. In a self-acting mule and twiner, a drawing-out scroll and a guard covering the same open at one end and closed at the other and means at each side of the guard for supporting and rendering it capable of being slid sidewise out of and into its operative position, for the purpose specified.

' 3. In a self-acting mule and twiner, a drawing-out scroll, a guard covering the same capable of being slid sidewise out of and into its operative position, and means for locking the said guard in its operative position, for the purpose specified.

4. In a self-acting mule and twiner, a drawing-out scroll and a guard covering the same capable of being slid sidewise out of and into its operative position, a headstock guard and means between the said two guards which look and place the said scroll guard under the control of the said headstock guard, for the purpose specified.

5. In a self-acting mule andtwiner, a drawlng-out scroll, a guard covering the same capable of being slid sidewise out of lock the said scroll guard, for the purpose 10 and into its operative position, means for specified.

locking the said guard in its operative posi- Signed at Manchester, in the county of tion, a headstock guard which controls the Lancaster, England, this 26th day of June side movement of the said scroll guard and A. D. 1914.

means in connection with the said two JAMES PICKFORD. guards and the machine, which, Whenre- Witnesses:

moving the said headstock guard, will cause ALFRED BossHARDT,

the machine to stop automatically and un- STANLEY E. BRAMALL.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

